The stars are coming back, and they’re bringing a lot more cameras with them.

With excitement still fresh from recent announcements that speedsters Yohan Blake and Jason Richardson are returning to compete at the 2013 Edmonton International Track Classic (EITC), meet organizers say the annual event is going to be shown live on CBC Television as part of a multi-year deal partnering the national broadcaster with what is becoming Canada’s top athletics meet.

The fourth edition of the EITC takes place June 29 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Foote Field, and CBC will be broadcasting live-coast-to-coast from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., when the biggest names will take part in the premiere events, culminating in the men’s 100 metre race.

“It’s a continual work in progress,” says Peter Ogilvie, Meet Director and Executive Director of Athletics Alberta. “Moving forward the event needs to grow and this is bigger than it was in 2010 when we first started. We are making the strides.

“The event will be syndicated and (broadcast) internationally, that’s the plan — reaching and competing against the meets in the world. We’re not the little guy any more, we’re proud to be made in Alberta, grown up in Edmonton, and the big thing is we want people to come out and see something they haven’t seen before.”

Blake, a Jamaican triple-medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, and the United States’ Richardson, who is defending men’s 110m hurdles world champ, will both be looking to repeat as Edmonton meet champs in the 100m and 110m hurdles, respectively .

Other big names booked include Jamaican Veronica Brown-Campbell (2012 Olympic women’s 100m bronze medalist) and Dominican Republic rising star Luguelin Santos (2012 World Junior men’s 400m champion). For both, the EITC will be their first performance at an outdoor meet in Canada.

More elite athletes are expected to be announced in the weeks to come, including a host of Canadian and local competitors. The men’s 100m field will include six racers that have run a sub-10 second time, Ogilvie says.

“The up-and-coming Canadian talent that we have is phenomenal,” says Ogilvie. “The American, the Jamaican talent, it’s all coming together really nicely. We’re really excited to showcase the event this year; it will be another bar that we’ve raised for event hosting.”

After debuting in 2010, the EITC was cancelled because of severe weather conditions including rain and thunder in 2011. Last year, to increase exposure and publicity, the event was rebranded the Donovan Bailey Invitational, named in honour of the Canadian sprinting legend who served as meet ambassador. Bolstered by the participation of Olympic medalists and Canadian heroes like shot-putter Dylan Armstrong and hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, the Donovan Bailey Invitational was a success, drawing a meet-record crowd in the neighbourhood of 2,500.

Organizers want to pack Foote Field with as many fans as possible this June, particularly when the cameras start rolling.

“…So we need as many people in that stadium as possible,” he says. “Our (message) to the community is if we’re going to showcase this city, this province, this product, to the world, we need help in doing that. We want to showcase our sport and our city to the world by having a full facility.”

The EITC is part of the Edmonton Athletics Festival, which runs from June 22 to June 29 and includes the Hershey’s Track and Field Games and Blue Mile Road Race. Log on to athleticsfestival.com for more information and to purchase tickets.